Nigel Baker outside Snaresbrook Crown Court
Nigel Baker, 56, believed to be Britain’s most prolific romance fraudster, has been jailed for 17 years after conning five women out of more than £900,000. Posing as a successful businessman on dating apps, Baker targeted divorced women, convinced them he was in love, and persuaded them to drain savings, sell homes and take out loans of up to £200,000 for what he claimed was a “risk-free” betting business.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, jurors heard how Baker promised financial security and a shared future while systematically stripping his victims of everything they had. Judge Charles Falk said the total loss exceeded £900,000 and described Baker as a “complete charlatan” who “mercilessly and cynically exploited” the trust placed in him. None of the money was ever repaid. Instead, it was lost to gambling.
The sentence is thought to be the longest ever imposed in the UK for romance fraud. But focusing only on the scale of the loss or the length of the jail term misses the most disturbing feature of the case. What unfolded in court was not just a financial scam, but a sustained pattern of emotional manipulation that closely resembles coercive control.
A Pattern of Dependence, Not a One-Off Deception
Baker’s fraud did not begin with money. It began with reassurance, attention and emotional availability. Prosecutors said he deliberately targeted divorced women, often single mothers, presenting himself as a reliable partner offering stability and commitment.
Only once emotional trust was established did the financial demands begin. Baker repeatedly fabricated crises to extract cash: claiming he could not afford to feed his children, that his father’s boiler urgently needed repair, or that his dog required emergency veterinary treatment. When sympathy alone failed, he escalated the pressure. He threatened to end relationships if money was not transferred and, in one case, claimed London gangsters would kill him unless a victim sent £50,000 immediately.
Victims told the court that once they were financially exhausted, Baker returned to dating apps to find new women. The behaviour was not impulsive. It was systematic.
When Romance Fraud Starts to Look Like Abuse
Romance fraud is usually prosecuted as deception — lies told to obtain money. But Baker’s conduct reveals how these cases often blur into psychological and financial abuse.
Specialists in coercive control recognise the tactics: emotional grooming, manufactured emergencies, threats of abandonment, isolation from friends and family, and pressure to make irreversible financial decisions under fear. Victims are not simply misled; they are steered, cornered and emotionally conditioned to comply.
One victim, a divorced police officer who gave Baker nearly £80,000, described him as a “dangerous predator.” In her victim impact statement, she said what she believed was love “was manipulation and deceit for financial gain.”
Judge Falk echoed that assessment at sentencing. “You told the women everything they wanted or needed to hear,” he said, “each woman perceiving you as their second chance at life-long happiness, when you were merely seeking to exploit them.”
What Is a Romance Scam — and How Does It Actually Work?
Romance scams rarely begin with obvious red flags. The first stage is emotional, not financial. Contact is often made through dating apps or social media, followed by a rapid push to move conversations off the platform into private messages or calls.
Fraudsters typically present themselves as emotionally open and serious about commitment. They may accelerate intimacy, talk about shared futures or long-term plans, and create a sense of exclusivity. Distance plays a key role. Many claim to live or work abroad, making repeated excuses for never meeting in person appear plausible.
Money is introduced gradually. Initial requests are framed as temporary problems or shared investments — travel costs, business opportunities, emergency bills. Reassurances are constant: the money is safe, it will be repaid, it benefits both partners.
As trust deepens, demands escalate. Victims may be encouraged to borrow, sell assets or keep transfers secret. Emotional pressure replaces persuasion. Threats of abandonment, guilt and invented danger are used to force quick decisions.
In severe cases, including Baker’s, the scam evolves into a closed emotional system where the victim’s judgement is overridden by fear of losing the relationship. At that point, the fraud functions less like a con and more like coercive control.
The Illusion of Wealth That Makes the Scam Work
Central to Baker’s success was the persona he constructed. He claimed to be a successful businessman with insider knowledge of betting platforms and “zero-risk” trading strategies. In reality, investigators found no meaningful assets to recover.
This illusion is common in romance fraud. Offenders do not need to be wealthy; they only need to appear competent long enough to secure trust. The image of financial sophistication — confident language, supposed expertise, constant reassurance — often proves more persuasive than actual results.
By the time victims realise the truth, the money is gone and the relationship that justified the sacrifices never existed.
Why Cases Like This Rarely End in Long Sentences
Despite the scale of romance fraud in the UK, lengthy prison sentences remain rare. Many cases are never reported at all. Victims frequently delay coming forward, embarrassed or fearful of being blamed for “falling for it.”
Even when prosecutions succeed, sentencing often focuses on financial loss rather than psychological harm. The emotional devastation, isolation and long-term financial instability victims experience are harder to quantify in court.
Baker’s case was different because of its pattern, scale and cruelty. Jurors convicted him unanimously on 18 counts of fraud by false representation, accepting that this was a sustained campaign of exploitation rather than isolated dishonesty.
The Damage That Continues After the Verdict
For Baker’s victims, the sentence offers recognition but not restoration. Loans taken out under emotional pressure do not disappear when a fraudster is jailed. Credit ratings, housing security and financial independence can take years — if not decades — to rebuild.
The psychological impact is often longer-lasting. Victims report difficulty trusting others, anxiety about relationships and a lingering sense of shame that can prevent them seeking help.
Advocates argue that cases like Baker’s demonstrate why romance fraud should be treated not merely as a financial crime, but as a form of abuse that exploits intimacy itself.
More Than One Man, One Case
Nigel Baker’s 17-year sentence may be unprecedented, but the tactics he used are not. Dating platforms, economic vulnerability and online anonymity continue to create opportunities for similar schemes.
What makes this case stand out is how clearly it exposes the mechanics of exploitation. Baker did not simply take money. He engineered dependence, applied pressure and moved on once his victims were depleted.
The challenge now is not just punishing the worst offenders, but recognising the warning signs earlier — and understanding that when love is weaponised, the harm goes far beyond the balance sheet.
People Also Ask: Romance Fraud Explained
What is a romance scam?
A romance scam is a form of fraud in which a criminal builds an emotional relationship with a victim in order to extract money. It relies on trust and psychological manipulation rather than technical deception.
How does romance fraud usually start?
Most cases begin on dating apps or social media. The fraudster establishes emotional closeness, moves communication off the platform, and delays meeting in person before introducing financial requests.
Why do victims give so much money?
Victims are often emotionally invested and believe they are protecting a shared future. Pressure tactics such as threats of abandonment, secrecy and urgent crises can override normal financial judgement.
Is romance fraud considered abuse?
While prosecuted as financial crime, serious romance fraud often shares features with coercive control and financial abuse, particularly where emotional dependency is deliberately engineered.
